History of Ballet

Like all other dance forms, ballet also goes way back to its roots in the 14th century. Even though the word "ballet" is French, it was used by an Italian to describe theatrical dances (but he called them "balleto"). With the unique dressing style of male and female performers, this dancing style solidified during the Italian Renaissance in the 15th century. And from here on, history of ballet dancing was known to be one of the richest forms of arts. Ballet spread from Italy to France, Russia, other parts of Europe and then finally to the United States of America. This progression happened over a long period and followed a number of time-lines. These incidents are compiled together to give you the history of ballet. So, read into the coming up paragraphs, which are the brief description of these events. Take a look.

The History of Ballet

In the 1400s, an Italian named Domenico di Piacenza, named the then practiced theatrical dances as balleto, which is a word that originated from "ballet" in French. In these theatrical dances, the male and female dancers performed a particular style of dancing on their toes. They enacted comedy and dramatic stories before their audiences in the form of this beautiful and skillful dance. These performers were hired by the Duke to dance in his courts to impress the nobility of nearby states. The history of ballet dancing started when Catherine de Medicis, a daughter of the ruling family of Florence, married the King of France, Henri II in 1553.

History of Ballet in France
Even though she left Italy, she hired these performers to dance in her courts as she loved this dance form dearly! She also introduced Balthasar de Beaujoyeulx as her chief musician for these dancers, and from there on the Italian balleto started its journey for the world. With a beautiful blend of poetry and song, outstanding stage effects, and gorgeously designed ballet costumes, Beaujoyeulx, the violinist and dance master, composed the first ever ballet drama performed in Paris. It was a five hour performance by hundreds of talented ballet dancers and the story depicted the Greek myth of Circe. It is known to be one of the most famous ballets, ever performed.

Another milestone in the history of ballet dance was around the 1600s. In the late 1600s, King Louis XIV ruled France, and with his affection towards this dance form, he founded the first professional instruction for ballet, Royal Academy of Dance, now known as "Paris Opera Ballet". By the onset of 1700s, ballet had grown beautifully with the introduction of legendary ballet positions and moves like jete, chasse, sissone, pirouette, entrechat, and cabriole.

History of Ballet in Russia
By the mid 1600s, ballet had spread to Russia and a few other European countries. St. Petersburg company, in Russia gave great dancers like Anna Pavlova and Vaslav Nijinsky in 1909, after which ballet gained momentum in the United States. One of the biggest ballet company in Russia was also the Russian Kirov ballet had started to produce some of the most famous ballet dancers throughout the world. One such dancer was Rudolf Nureyev, who gained popularity in 1961 and went on to partner with other big companies. In 1974, another dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov from the same company toured to Canada and United Stated. He was the best dancer the American Ballet Theater had ever witnessed and then he joined the New York City Ballet.

History of Ballet in United States of America
The choreographer George Balanchine who was highly influenced by Russia, introduced this art to America. During the 1960s, it was Balanchine who founded the New York City Ballet along with the wealthy Lincoln Kirstein. Before coming to America, Balanchine worked for another very big name in Russia, Diaghilev's Ballets Russes. His specialty of dancing was to create ballets without plots, using only music and movements rather than a story. He choreographed his first ballet with this theme, Jewels in 1967.

With such a beautiful history of ballet, I am sure you enjoyed reading it! Ballet from then on, was compared to Opera performances and is considered as a revolutionary dance form till today.